Scarlett Johansson Sparks Fears She Could Be Exposing Herself to One of Hollywood's Most Infamous and Horrific Movie Curses

OK! can reveal Scarlett Johansson's decision to lead a new, "radical" remake of The Exorcist has revived long‑standing fears surrounding the franchise's notorious off‑screen tragedies and prompted fresh warnings from those close to the production she could be the next victim of the franchise's deadly "curse."

The 41-year-old has signed on to star in director Mike Flanagan's reimagining of the 1973 horror classic despite the film long dogged by one of Hollywood's most enduring reputations for misfortune. Filmed in New York and Iraq in 1972, the original production was beset by fires, sudden deaths, grievous injuries and the later arrest of a bit‑part actor for murder.

Now, after news broke of Johansson's casting, industry observers are questioning why one of the world's most influential actors – twice nominated for Academy Awards in the same year and featured on Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people – would willingly attach herself to a franchise with such a haunted legacy.

The concern is heightened by Johansson's well‑known superstitions. She avoids walking under ladders, crosses her fingers when passing graveyards and reportedly fled a centuries‑old U.K. hotel room in the middle of the night after what she described as "strange" occurrences.

A film executive familiar with the project said: "There's a real sense of unease about returning to this material. Some on the team worry that Scarlett, given her own beliefs, could be exposing herself to something she may later regret."

Another source added: "People working around the franchise know the history. It's impossible not to ask whether stepping back into this universe is tempting fate, and people around Scarlett are spooked she has signed on to this project. It's like she's inviting trouble."

The original Exorcist remains one of cinema's most infamous productions. Weeks after construction began on a full replica of a Georgetown house inside a Manhattan warehouse, the set was destroyed by a fire sparked by faulty wiring – but the possessed child's bedroom, the very heart of the story, was left untouched.

"It was like the fire knew what to spare," a crew member spookily said in a 1998 documentary.

Author Colin Brand later revealed an electrician raised an alert with a production boss, and the wiring was a "mess," but his warning went unheeded.

Accidents and shocks continued to mount. Actor Max von Sydow, then 43, arrived in Iraq to shoot scenes only to learn that a 10‑foot-tall demon statue had been lost in shipment, forcing weeks of delay. During that wait, von Sydow received word his brother had died suddenly. Linda Blair, just 13 at the time – who played possessed girl Regan MacNeil at the center of the horror flick – also lost her grandfather. In New York, a carpenter severed his thumb and a rigger lost a toe.

Two Jesuit advisers, brought in for authenticity checks on the supernatural, performed blessings on the set. One, Father Thomas, later surveyed the burned remains from the set and said: "This is a warning. We're meddling with forces we don't understand."

Director William Friedkin's demands added to the legend that the film had a hex. Actress Ellen Burstyn, then 39, broke her coccyx when a stunt rig yanked her violently across the room – and her screams in the film during the stunt are real. Blair also fractured her lower spine after being strapped to an over‑shaken bed rig.

Adding to the fear of a "curse" hanging over the controversial flick, actor Jack MacGowran died from the flu at 54 just days after finishing his scenes.

Vasiliki Maliaros, who played Father Karras' mother, died before the film premiered. Crew relatives, a sound engineer, a night watchman and the newborn child of an assistant cameraman all also died within months of its making.

Then came Paul Bateson – a real-life hospital technician hired for a single scene – who was later convicted of murdering film journalist Addison Verrill and suspected in six dismemberment killings.

Actress Mercedes McCambridge, who provided the voice of the demon inside Regan, was also hit by tragedy. In 1987, her son killed his wife and two daughters, aged 13 and 9, then himself, after leaving a long, bitter farewell note which ended on the phrase: "Night, mother."

A producer close to the new remake said: "No one is saying a curse is real. But people remember the stories. They know what happened last time, and even the most sceptical among those attached to the project are understandable spooked."

Asked whether Johansson is inviting danger, another insider said: "History has a long shadow over this franchise. Even those who doubt the 'curse' talk admit there's always been something unsettling here."